The Peril of the Republic of the United States of America - Percy T. Magan

annexed to the Union by conquest or purchase,
they are initiatory to the establishment of State
governments, and no more power can be claimed
or exercised than is necessary to the attainment of
that end. This is the limitation of all the Federal
powers.”[23]
These legal opinions clearly set forth the lack
of power in this government to hold Territories as
colonies not to be admitted as States, and with no
prospect of becoming States. In fact, in both of
these opinions “the fundamental idea is conveyed
that all the power of Congress in regard to the
Territories is to be exercised as an initiatory
process to their becoming States of the American
Union.”
These principles have formed a part of the
political faith of men of all parties until within the
last few months, and the actions of the government
have uniformly been in harmony with them.
The first land held by the United States not in
the form of a State was the Northwestern Territory
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